Atlantic Basin chosen as dock for Red Hook ferry

July 22, 2016 Anna Spivak
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Red Hook’s ferry landing now has an official home: the Atlantic Basin.

The waterfront nabe’s historic dock was announced as the landing place for the planned citywide ferry service by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) on Wednesday, July 20 – news that Red Hook residents are excited about.

“By locating the Red Hook Citywide Ferry Service landing at Atlantic Basin, we will provide a reliable and affordable transportation alternative for a community that has historically had limited transit options,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer.

“It’s full steam ahead for the launch of Citywide Ferry Service next year,” said de Blasio. “Families and businesses in Red Hook have needed better transit options for decades. We’re changing that. When ferry service begins out of Atlantic Basin, thousands more people will have a fast and affordable way to connect with their city.”

According to the mayor’s office, the site was selected based on environmental review and input from Red Hook residents and elected officials. NYCEDC will work in coordination with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) as it readies the Red Hook ferry landing in Atlantic Basin.

“It was overwhelming, the support from the entire community with the Atlantic Basin,” said John McGettrick, co-president of the Red Hook Civic Association. “I think it’s a unifying improvement in transport for the whole community, both the residential community, public housing and private housing [along with] the business community. It also opens up the opportunity for kids to go to the Harbor School over on Governor’s Island, so, all the way around it’s a win for everybody in Red Hook.”

The landing is expected to serve over 6,000 area residents that live within a half-mile radius, including families that reside in NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses, according to the mayor’s office.

The pedestrian entrance to the landing will be located at the intersection of Pioneer and Conover Streets and will be just a short walk to the bustling Van Brunt Street commercial corridor.

“I am pleased that the city has heeded my call and the call of Red Hook residents to site a Citywide Ferry Service landing in Atlantic Basin,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “This review process has been responsive to concerns we have raised about the potential impact of adverse seasonal weather conditions as well as the distance to the nearest points of transportation and to concentrations of potential passengers. I thank EDC President Torres-Springer for working with the community and the Port Authority to arrange for a site that will best meet the needs of a historically underserved neighborhood, including thousands of public housing residents, as well as provide a boost for the area’s burgeoning commercial corridor.”

The ferry’s South Brooklyn route (one of the first to premiere) will have landings at Bay Ridge (via the 69th Street Pier), the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 near Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 in DUMBO and Wall Street’s Pier 11.

Total travel time from first stop to last will be just 43 minutes, and the trip will cost the same as a subway ride.

All boats will be able to accommodate at least 149 passengers per trip and will be equipped with WiFi.

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